March 4,2024


Dat 13 : Bruny Island , last day in Tasmania



We ate breakfast at our B & B and made an early start for Bruny Island. Bruny Island lies about 30 mins south of Hobart. It is one of the most southernness parts of Australia. We got that ferry across at around  10 AM and made our way down the island. 



Ou first stop was the Bruny Island Neck. A sandy, hilly isthmus that "connects" the northern and southern parts of the island. The isthmus is home to both little penguins and the short tailed shearwater who burrow part of the year in the sandy banks. If you climb the stairs to the Truganini Lookout, you get a breathtaking 360 degree view of Bruny Island and the ocean. The lookout is named for an Aboriginal woman who fought to save here people after the English came to eradicate the aboriginals from Bruny Island. While the story is tragic, she is remembered for her courage and love of her people. Perhaps it is right that this magnificent lookout, which offers the viewer a glimpse of that land that Trugianini and her people so rightly loved.

The views are truly magnificent. On one side you have Isthmus Bay, where the water was tranquil and you could see small sea birds searching for food on the shore. Looking out to the ocean side, the water crashed upon the shore. The waves were fairly high, and the wind was quite strong. If you came looking for the penguins or shearwater birds, you were disappointed. The penguins are at sea during the day and only return after duck. The shearwaters are only here for part of the year to nest and nurture their young. 












After the lookout, we moved south to the end of the island. The lighthouse at Cape Bruny is as far south as you can go. The old lighthouse dates back to the 1838 and was one of the first lighthouses established in Australia. The lighthouse sits 114 m above sea level, so once again you get magnificent views. As you stand and look to the south, it's incredible to think that the next land mass you would encounter is Antartica, over 3,000 kms away.  







Our final stop on the southern part of the island was Adventure Bay. This huge crescent like bay is spectacular. It is here that James Cooke in 1777 landed and replenished supplies. This event was memorialized in a print by Lt. Tobin of his crew. In the painting sit two tall trees, which can still be seen today. The bay is beautiful and offers visitors a chance to relax or walk its white sandy beach.  









Any trip to Bruny island should include more than exploring it wondrous sites. We also enjoyed some local food. We went to a local honey producer and tried some vanilla honey ice cream. We visited "Bread Beer Cheese" and enjoyed, beer bread and cheese ! No surprise there. We also went to "Get Shucked Oyster Bar" for a dozen Bruny Island oysters. It was a great way to end our stay on Bruny Island.


    






It's 7:30 pm and I'm sitting in Hobart Airport about to depart for our flight to Melbourne. The second part of our trip is more centred on Family, but I am sure a few adventures will present themselves along the way. 

By the way, I might never be this far from home again !










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